They Set Out to Bike the World in Search of Wonder—What They Found was Pure Evil

New True Crime Release Evil on the Roof of the World Picks Up Early Rave Reviews…Chronicles the Tragic Journey of Two American Cyclists Murdered by ISIS in Tajikistan

CHICAGO, IL, October 03, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — Acclaimed novelist and historian William Elliott Hazelgrove (Dead Air, Madam President) brings readers an unflinching new work of narrative nonfiction with Evil on the Roof of the World (Bloomsbury, November 13, 2025). The book recounts the harrowing true story of Lauren Geoghegan and Jay Austin, two young Americans who set out to cycle the world in pursuit of adventure and wonder—only to encounter unimaginable violence at the hands of ISIS terrorists in Tajikistan.

The book has already drawn comparisons to the best of modern adventure and true crime writing:

“William Elliott Hazelgrove’s gripping account, reminiscent of Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, chronicles Jay and Lauren’s epic journey toward an encounter with terrorists who decide that slaughtering these youthful seekers will serve ISIS’s cause.” — Doug Kari, author of The Berman Murders

“Lauren and Jay chased wonder on two wheels across continents, only to meet evil face-to-face— Evil on the Roof of the World is a sobering, gut-punch reminder that even the boldest dreams aren’t safe from the darkness we pretend doesn’t exist.” — Cory Mortensen, bestselling author of The Buddha and the Bee

“Novelist and historian Hazelgrove…recounts the fate of American cyclists Lauren Geoghegan and Jay Austin, who were slain by terrorists in Tajikistan in 2018, in this chilling true crime tale… Hazelgrove’s prose lets the facts of the case carry the narrative forward. For the most part, the approach pays off, lending the account an unsettling air. Readers will be aghast.” — Publishers Weekly

Drawing from the couple’s personal blog, their own words, and extensive interviews with friends and family, Hazelgrove paints a vivid portrait of two dreamers who gave up well-paying Washington jobs to ride their bicycles across Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. Their adventures included close calls with elephants, harsh landscapes, bureaucratic suspicion, and grueling crashes, yet they pressed on—until their path led them to the Pamir Mountains, the fabled “Roof of the World.” There, their dream collided with radicalized young men determined to make them martyrs.

With the narrative drive of a novel and the sobering truth of investigative reporting, Hazelgrove’s Evil on the Roof of the World is both a cautionary tale and a testament to the risks of wonder-seeking in a world where danger often lurks in the shadows of idealism.

Evil on the Roof of the World will be released on November 13, 2025 by Bloomsbury Academic.

William Elliott Hazelgrove is the National Bestselling author of ten novels and twelve nonfiction titles. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly Kirkus, Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards Junior Library Guild Selections, Literary Guild Selections, History Book Club Selections, History Book Club Bestsellers, Distinguished Book Award. and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today, The Smithsonian Magazine, and other publications and has been featured on NPR All Things Considered. The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, CSPAN, USA Today, World News Tonight have all covered his books with features. His book Madam President The Secret Presidency of Edith in development He has two forthcoming books. Dead Air The Night Orson Welles Terrified America, Hemingways Attic Hell and Glory in Cuba and the Writing of Old Man and the Sea. More information can be found at www.williamhazelgrove.com.

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